


They Didn’t Have to Fall In Love, But They Did. Oh God, They Did.

by under-latest-nostalgia (psionicTrickster)



Category: Descendants (2015), Disney - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Drunken Confessions, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 22:20:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5603032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psionicTrickster/pseuds/under-latest-nostalgia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you asked Jay when he and Carlos started dating, he’d squint his eyes thoughtfully before shrugging with a smile on his face.</p>
<p>“I dunno, dude, I guess it just… happened?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	They Didn’t Have to Fall In Love, But They Did. Oh God, They Did.

If you asked Jay when he and Carlos started dating, he’d squint his eyes thoughtfully before shrugging with a smile on his face.

“I dunno, dude, I guess it just… happened?”

Jay would laugh and continue whatever he was doing before you asked, but the smile lingers on his face, growing wider every now and then as he remembers the ups and downs of when he and Carlos’ started feeling less platonic about each other.

* * *

It might have been when Jay pulled Carlos to the side after they finished finding Maleficent’s Eye. The elder hugged the smaller close, mumbling “We’re never talking about this again… but… I’m sorry about your mom. Ah…. I got your back from here on out… even if there is no team in I.”

They never did talk about it again, at least not on the Isle, but from that point Jay would pick on anyone who dared to pick on Carlos or insult the younger about his projects, not directly protecting the younger but eventually people figured the common denominator in Jay’s bigger targets was Carlos.

(He didn’t have to keep his word, they were the villains after all, but he did.)

It might have been when Carlos would always go to Jay first when he finished a project, rambling excitedly about what the contraption did as well as detailing the process to building it.

Carlos didn’t have to, Jay wasn’t exactly the techie type anyways. Evie was more interested in the mechanics of his contraptions, asking questions neither Mal or Jay quite understood. But he did.

(Jay didn’t have to put up with Carlos’ long ramblings either. But he did too.)

It might have been when they first got their taste of freedom from their parents when they left the isle of the Lost. When Carlos would spend the night fidgeting with Auradon’s new tech, nerves keeping him awake as Maleficent’s warnings of unacceptable failure would echo in his head. When Jay would stay up with him, grumbling sleepily about having to pretend to be do-gooders and needing to return all the stuff he snatches. Jay’s voice would calm Carlos’ nerves and eventually they’d fall asleep sitting next to each  other, torn apart toys and stolen knick knacks littering their dormroom floor.

(Carlos knew Jay didn’t have to stay up with the younger boy. But Carlos is glad he did.) 

It might have been when Jay kept his promise even on Auradon. Holding onto Carlos when the younger jumped in fear of falling to his death. Catching the smaller boy as his fear of dogs takes over when they pass the beast statue. Keeping him on the tourney team when the coach was undecided.

(Jay didn’t have to do those things at all, but he did.) 

It might have been after they video called their parents that one time. They all ended up in their dorm rooms rubbing at their eyes in frustration, anger, sadness… In any case the two boys sat side by side, unspilled tears in their eyes.

“I’m sorry your dad only wants you back for stolen shit.”

“I’m sorry your mom only likes animals in the bad way and hurt you for it.”

“I’m sorry our parents are shit.”

“I’m sorry we ever thought otherwise.”

(They didn’t have to sit there and mumble half-comforts to one another. But they did.)

Maybe it was during Auradon Prep’s end of the year prom. When Jay doesn’t have anyone to go with not because of the lack of trying (but maybe because of the lack of effort into the trying.) and Carlos didn’t have anyone because… well he wasn’t sure because of what but maybe, he said, because he was too shy to ask anyone and nobody asked him. In the end, they spent a night together drunk with half-joking nudges and taunts.

“Girls are dumb anyway, except for Mal and Evie!”

“Yeah who’d wanna spend a night dancing with some lady I don’t really know? You know what? What if we went together.”

“Haha, that’d be better than any other choice right now, even if it’d ruin my cool status.”

“Hah! You wish, it’d lift your ‘cool status’ to be seen with me.”

“…”

“… so, eight o’clock?”

“Uh… sure.”

(Carlos didn’t have to show up at their shared dorm room with a corsage at hand and a wide grin and Jay didn’t have to accept with a laugh and wear it the rest of the night. But they did.)

It might have been when they got back from the exact same party, breathless and flustered from dancing and laughing the night away. They enter the room and both of them collapse on the nearest bed, Carlos falling on top of Jay.

“Get off of me!”

“Noooo you’re too warm and comfy….”

“Well you’re too fuckin’ heavy.”

“What the fuck didya say to me you muscular shit?”

They end up wrestling, Jay obviously coming up on top with his leaner, more trained muscles. They’re both even more breathless at the end of it and as they stared at each other, the drunken flush on their faces grow hotter with something other than the alcohol in their system.

(Carlos didn’t have to whisper “I think I love you.” under his breath and Jay didn’t have to kiss the younger when he did. But they did.)

The next morning they woke up flustered and questioning themselves on whether the other remembered the events of the previous night. Tripping over themselves as they untangled from each other and awkwardly shuffled to the bathroom, insisting the other go first.

Finally, Jay gets sick of the awkward air in the room and asks Carlos if he meant what he said. Carlos flushed and nodded and Jay would insist he say it again if he remembered.

“I think I love you.”

Jay would flush but grin widely before tackling the younger.

“I love you too.”

(Neither of them had to admit their feelings, but they did.)

* * *

If you asked the other half of the duo the same question he’d laugh and grin cheekily.

“Who even says we’re officially dating?”

The older half would then pout, and put his head on the smaller, “But Carloooos, I thought you loved me?”

“I do ya dingus.” The younger would say with a smile, “For way longer than I’d like to admit.”

Jay would smile contentedly and nuzzle the smaller’s hair and you’d realize you’d never get a proper answer from either of them.

(If you asked their friends they’d just shrug and say “I dunno, they just… did.”)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the Mavin fic, "They never started dating, it just sort of, happened"
> 
> Also posted on tumblr on my writing blog under-latest-nostalgia.tumblr.com  
> Specifically [here](http://under-latest-nostalgia.tumblr.com/post/136386389616/they-didnt-have-to-fall-in-love-but-they-did-oh) :)


End file.
